When Worlds Collide
by ORIONSTORM04
Summary: Having to restart her entire life, Ororo Munore is faced with choice that she would have like to remain in the past. But desperate times call for desperate measures.
1. Fall of the House of M

**When Worlds Collide **

**By: Orionstorm04**

Disclaimer: I do not own Storm or any of the other X-Men that belongs to marvel. All I own is the original idea, and any OC.

A/N: I'm trying to attempt something here, but I don't want to give away just yet what. This will be my version of what happened during the House of M saga in the comics. There will defiantly be some twist along the way, some more obvious than others, but I hope everyone will stick around to see how things transpire. Another thing, beign that Storm is my favorite character, she will be one of the main characters that I will be having in the story. This will be a huge undertaking for me, so I ask that everyone remain patient and un-judgmental, though helpful comments are welcomed, when leaving any reviews.

**Fall of the House of M**

The island nation of Genosha was now in ruins. Though it hadn't always stood as such, no more than a couple of hours ago the nation once stood as a beacon of unity and hope for the future. But all great things must come to an end, and tonight's events would surely bring an end to this once peaceful utopia.

The night had started off wonderfully, with foreign dignitaries arriving from all around the globe. A celebration was to be held to commemorate the achievements of Homo superior over Homo sapiens. Lord Erik Magnus Lehnsherr, ruler of Genosha and head of the House of Magus, was host to the festivities, announcing to the world a new, and more unified and stable society. Leaders came from far and wide at the behest of Lord Magnus, including the reluctant ruler Dr. Doom. The two always had a begrudging relationship, but even Vicktor knew better than to challenge the master of Magnetism.

Though most heads of states were more cordial with the charismatic leader of the mutant population, and considered him a friend, rather than a political and powerful enemy. King T'Challa, ruler of the African Commonwealth of Wakanda, had been a friend and ally to Erik since before the Great War leading to their current global unification. Though Erik was the undisputed, yet unspoken, ruler of all civilizations, he kept in place a global senate, indicating to the world his intent to maintain social and global order amongst the different cultures. This was a night that would mark the beginning of what he hoped would be a golden age for mankind.

Erik looked about the massive, yet still incredible intimate space, at the surrounding people, noticing the jovial atmosphere that permeated the room. He watched as his good friend T'Challa courted the young Kenyan princess Ororo. Erik had lost track of the amount of times that T'Challa had fawned over Ororo from afar. He couldn't quite blame him though, the young woman was beautiful. Her youthful face and healthy body was a direct contrast to the volumes platinum hair that rested magnificently on her head. In conjunction with her crystal clear, sage like sapphire eyes, it was enough to make any man submissive to her whims. Though to T'Challa's ever constant regret, it didn't seem as though the young princess was interested in any relationships at the moment.

Turning from the scene of Ororo once again turning down T'Challa's offer to accompany him to one of his many homes scattered around the world, Erik looked to his own family. The table set for the royal family was lavish, as to be expected for such an occasion. Rare delicacies from almost every region of the world were placed before the guests of honor. He watched as his only son, Pietro flirted shamelessly with one of the female servers. While Lorna, his adoptive daughter, talked animatedly with Namor, the ruling king of Atlantis. Then there was Wanda, who out of all of his children was the most like her mother.

A soft smile escaped his lips while watching her feed and talk with her small twin boys, William and Thomas. She was so loving and caring, and so like her mother it was sometimes heartbreaking. She must have sensed someone staring, for she looked up and her eyes caught that of her father's. Her smile mimicked his, until a look of concerned crossed her face. Waving his hand dismissively, he signified to her that everything was well.

Waiting until she returned to the task at hand, Erik turned to the doors leading to the garden. A pensive look cast upon his eyes as he walked towards them, acknowledging those few guests he passed. Once he was out the doors, he was greeted with the crisp cool spring air. It was times like these the really placed him at ease, being able to simply remove himself from the day to day minutia and just enjoy the beauty of nature.

There were so many things that he longed for that was now beyond his reach, such as the simpler times before he took on the burden of liberating his people from oppression. The times when he would hold his sweet Magda, his wife, for hours on end, making passionate love to her while the sun would set beyond the horizon. Those days had long since passed; his loss of Magda still plagued his soul and was one of the reasons that he became the mutant overlord known as Magneto. Though just as there is always an action, there is an equal reaction.

With Magda gone, he thought he had lost all of his compassion for the human race, but it seemed fate had other planes. While as a young man, he came across another very gifted mutant, a telepath by the name of Charles Xavier. While Erik's goal was fueled by hatred of those who had taken his beloved Magda from him, Charles was soothed by the hopeful promise that one day humans and mutants could someday coexist peacefully. Alas, only one of them could be right, and though Erik took comfort in the fact that if his people couldn't live peacefully, then at least they wouldn't be whipped out completely.

But with every great victory, a price must be paid, and for Erik, that price was too high. During the climax of the Great War, Charles Xavier was assassinated. In an attempt to do away with the leaders of the mutant revolt, the humans decided to severe the heart and soul of the mutant community. Though by removing the heart, they left Magneto, with his resolve to do away with the humans all together and who was only tempered by Xavier's ever present calm, free to rally others to his cause. Though the war was long, and there were casualties on both sides, after everything was said and done, and so much was lost, the ends justified the means.

Being trapped in his thought, Erik followed the path that he had walked down more times than he could remember. The cobblestone walkway lead to the south end of the gardens, where different varieties of rose where planted by Ororo, in honor of Xavier. A statue was dedicated to him, with a simple inscription: 'We rise and fall as one'. No truer words had been spoken, if it hadn't been for the whole of the mutant race coming together, Magneto's vision of a more prosperous life for his people would never have seen fruition.

"You are truly missed my old friend." He said solemnly to the image of his fallen friend.

A loud explosion rocked the master of magnetism from his melancholy mood, jolting his attention towards the palace. Screams could be heard ringing throughout the night air, as he raced towards the ballroom entrance. The sight that awaited him left him cold; a military helicarrier had crashed through the glass dome ceiling, littering the ball room floor with shards of sharp glass. Those in attendance to his celebration were running in panicked disarray, lost and confused as to what had caused the calamity around them.

The mutant overlord once known as Magneto, blood boiled with anger. Who dare attack his home on this most monumental night?! Well whomever they where, they were foolish to challenge him, and would be taught the error of their ways before the night's end. Rising from the floor, Erik summoned his magnetic powers which was his namesake, and used them to tear the carrier asunder. Upon doing so, he set in motion a chain of events which would destroy his home and world as he knew it.

Just as in the battle of Troy, the ship was used solely as a decoy to gain entrance into the heavily guarded palace. When Magneto used his magnetic powers to rip apart the hellicarrier, the newly awakened superheroes emerged, prepared to do anything necessary to restore things to how they once were.

The battle was massive, immediately after setting foot in the castle, the heroes began their attack. None of them were foolish enough to think they would be able to approach Magneto's stronghold and not expect a fight. The royal guards assigned to protect Erik and his family was immediately dispatched, running headlong into the chaos. While normal guards would have been nothing to the likes of Wolverine and Cyclops, these weren't your everyday garden variety guards.

As Wolverine advance into the once decorated hall, he was knocked off his feet by a concussive energy wave. Looking up, he came face to face with his contender, the mutant know as shockbox. On any given day, the native of Detroit would be an obstacle to overcome, but today, Wolverine was in no mood to play games. Launching himself, with claws extended, Logan made short work of his adversary.

On the other end of the hall, Scott Summers, known as Cyclops, was having his own encounter with a former ally. Colossus stood squarely before his former team leader, though showing no recognition that he knew who he was.

"Peter, it's me, Scott!" Cyclops tried desperately to reach his friend.

"I know not how you know my name villain, but I shall make sure that Piotr's face shall be the last thing you will see."

Cyclops narrowly managed to avoid the destructive blow by Colossus. He had to think of something to at least slow Peter down but without hurting him, but nothing short of a missile could slow him. While Cyclops continued to evade the Colossus, the other members of his party fought their way through wave after wave of super powered guards.

This was getting them nowhere fast, the more people they managed to subdue; even more would take their place. But soon none of that would matter, for the lord and master of the house had arrived. On their best day, the X-Men had troubles keeping Magneto at bay, and only with a full team. Now all Cyclops had to work with was a feral Wolverine, a half armed Tony Starks, an exhausted Dr. Strange, an outnumbered Spiderman, and a distraught Shadowcat. Things were looking grim for them at the moment, with no way of turning the tides in their favor; the ragtag group of heroes began to loss hope.

One member of Cyclops's group had managed to escape the fray, and hide quietly behind a pillar, as she watched her friends defend themselves from Magneto's onslaught. Layla Miller was one of the few people who were aware that this reality was not real. It was through her efforts that the people fighting in this battle had regained their memories. If something didn't change fast though, all would be lost, and everything in existence would come crashing to a halt. They needed help, and fast, but there was no one available to assist them, until she spotted someone from the corner of her eye. Ushering people out to safety stood none other than Ororo Munroe herself. Rushing forward, she grabbed Ororo by her arm to turned her towards her.

"You have to help." She said.

"It's alright child, everything will be all right. Just follow the others, and let Lord Magus handle the intruders." Ororo tried pacifying her.

"No you don't understand!" Leyla said forcible, halting Ororo attempt to shove her out of the hall. "I don't need you to help me; I need you to help them!"

Ororo looked at the girl as though she had lost her mind. Why would she help those who attacked innocent people? She figured that she girl must be stressed and slipping into delirium and tried harder to persuade her to leave with the others.

"Did you hit your head? Were you hurt? There are physicians that can help you, but you must leave here at once."

"I don't have time for this…" she mumbled while placing her hands on either side of Ororo's head, Layla began to concentrate, utilizing her abilities of memory recall. Her eyes began to glow an eerie green, while she forced her will upon Ororo's mind.

Ororo watched as the girl held her in place, unable to move for some strange reason. Then, all at once, images began to enter her mind. Places she didn't recall seeing appeared before her, along with the faces of people she would swear she had seen before. She saw herself, dressed in a uniform and wearing a strange tiara. Her mind began to burn, as the memories were forced onto her and soon the onslaught brought her to her knees.

Layla watched as Ororo gripped her head in pain; it had not been this difficult in awakening the others. Maybe it had something to do with Storm's natural psi blocks that caused the reemergence of her memories to cause her such pain. Soon she began to think that maybe it was a mistake to try and wake her, as Ororo's moans of pain increased. Then, she stopped, there was no more moaning, and as Ororo stood on her feet, Layla noticed her eyes were completely white.

"W-Where am I?" Storm asked. Her mind was hazy, and she got the distinct impression that she wasn't in Westchester anymore.

"There's no time for that now. The other X-Men need your help!"

"What?" Ororo said. She couldn't regain her barings, everything seemed to be happening at once, almost as if the room was spinning.

"Listen Storm, if you don't help the others now, they'll die! And not just them but this entire universe will cease to exist."

For the first time, Storm noticed the fighting and yelling in the background. Looking beyond the young girls head, she watched as her friends fought against and enraged Magneto. What was happening? At the moment, she didn't have time to figure it out, she needed to get to the X-Men before it was too late.

"Stay here." Ororo said forcibly before, summoning the winds to her and taking flight.

"God, I hope this works." was Layla's whispered prayer.

Using his magnetic powers, Magneto used Wolverine as a battering ram, bringing down his comrades one by one. Emma Frost used every ounce of training that she had to dodge Wolverine, and the shards of metal that were sailing through the air, she had even had to revert to her diamond form to keep from being impaled. While Emma was trying to evade Magneto's attacks, Cyclopes was trying to execute his own.

Sending precise shots at the master of magnetism, he gained little advantage. In a palace made entirely of metal, it was near impossible for him to get a clear shot. Without warning the floor beneath his feet began to tremble and give way, rising into the air, bounding everyone in it's grip.

"I've had enough!" Magneto's voice boomed. "You invade my palace, attack me in my home and lay siege to my entire country. Now I shall end your pathetic lives."

Magneto began clenching his fist, causing the metal surround the fallen X-Men to do the same. As he watched the intruders wither with pain and gasp for air, he felt a shift in the winds and heard a peal of thunder.

"Magneto!!!" with a voice of rolling thunder, the goddess known as Storm approached. "I will not let you harm them." She spoke angrily.

"You to Ororo, you dare betray me, after all that we have accomplished together? He was stunned to see the young princess who he had helped liberate her precious Kenya from warlords who wished to advance their own selfish means.

"I cannot betray someone I was never loyal to. Now; I give you one last chance to release my friends, or suffer the consequences." She said ominously.

"So be it, if that is what you wish. It's a shame how the best of us must fall for the betterment of the whole."

Lifting his left hand, he sent a barrage of metal shards heading directly towards her. Storm watched as the pieces of metal aimed her in her direction, and when they were upon her, she expertly dodging every shard. Years of training in the danger room had honed her skills of maneuverability, a fact that she was sure the real Magneto was aware of. Something about this didn't add up, he seemed to be underestimating her abilities, and why she wasn't sure, but she would see to it that he remembered why they called her the mistress of the elements.

Twisting and turning her body in the air, she managed to get pass the field of metal. When she was close enough to Magneto, she came to a sudden halt. She threw her hands forward, causing a battering ram of air to hit him head on. The force of the attack caused his concentration to slip slightly, just enough so that she was able to sense the shift in the magnetic forces, and using her ability to affect the electromagnetic spectrum, she was able to agitate the bonds used to keep the metal holding her friends intact, freeing them from their constraints.

With the X-men, and other super powered allies freed, Ororo stared down Magneto, almost challenging him to attack. Though she wasn't sure what had caused the current chain of events to transpire, she knew that if Magneto was here, then he was somehow involved. It never ceased to amaze her how the X-Men constantly found themselves in these types of predicaments, it had almost becoming a running gag, with everyone betting on how long it would take for any member of the team to be transported to another dimension.

"You fools! After everything that I have done for you, for mutant kind as a whole, you would dare turn your back on your people?! Did you think that it would be easy to overthrow the Master of Magnetism?!"

"Magneto, you have to listen to us! This place… this universe, it isn't real. The Scarlet Witch's reality warping powers are tearing apart the fabric of spacetime, we don't have time for this!" said Cyclops. Time was drawing short and if they couldn't convince Magneto to undo what he set in motion, they would be forced to take him out.

"You truly are delusional. Wanda doesn't have the capabilities to alter reality."

"Look bub, ya' got one of two choices. Ya' can set things back to the way they were, or I can gut ya' and deal with the rest later. Either way, I'm happy." Wolverine snarled, exposing his claws.

"You speak boldly, to saw that precious metal covers you entire skeleton." As Magneto raised his hand, Wolverine's body went ridged, before rising several feet off the air.

As Ororo watched Logan be lifted into the air, her decision had been made for her. She couldn't stand idly by as Magneto brought about the end of all existence. The group charged as a whole, each using their unique powers to assault Magneto. The X-Men, who's had extensive encounters with Magneto, took point, backing the dictator into a corner. Their efforts seemed to be paying off, until a massive dome of magnetic energy shielded him from their attacks and sent everyone flying.

As Magneto hovered over his fallen enemies, he could not help but look at them in pity. He had brought them a utopia, yet they still fought against him. Was this the destiny for mankind as a whole? To fight and bicker amongst themselves until one eventually destroyed the other? Well not in his home it wouldn't, he would see to it that every remnat of this revolt would be snuffed out. What better way to protect them but from themselves.

"_Ororo… the Scarlet Witch… Wanda, you have to stop Wanda."_

Before Storm heard the mental message from Emma, she felt the small itch in the back of her mind she always experienced when a telepath attempted to contact her. If she could only get to the Scarlet Witch, then all of this could be reversed, but that was if she was willing to help her. Summoning a dense fog to distract Magneto, Storm left the battle to find the Scarlet Witch. From the corner of her eye, she was able to spot Wanda, huddle in a corner, holding her twin sons close to her. When she reached her, she could hear the young woman mumble comforting words to the terrified boys.

"Everything will be okay my darlings, don't be afraid."

"Wanda… you must stop your father. You must return reality to the way it was, or all is lost." Storm tried to speak softly to the distraught mutant.

"No… NO! I can't lose them, I won't!" she screamed violently, startling the young boys in her arms.

"You will not lose your father. No harm will come to him if you simply return things to normal, you have my word." She placed her hand on Wanda's shoulder.

"I don't care what happens to him! I won't lose my boys, not again." She was crying now, grasping more firmly to the twins.

At her declaration, Storm was admittedly confused. She had no idea what Wanda could mean by losing the children, surely she knew that they would do no harm them once things were set back to normal. Then it dawn on her, those two boys that she clung so feverishly to were nothing more than another fabrication of this reality. Now she understood why the once strong mutant would breakdown so completely, no mother would want to see the lost of her child, real or otherwise. Though while she sympathized with Wanda, she also could not let her bring ruin to all of reality simply so she could hold on to her fantasy childeren. She would have to force her to give up something she knew was even more important to her than her own life.

"They are not real… none of this is real. And if you don't realized that soon, your powers will flare further out of control, killing not only you, but your sons as well."

"Shut up…" Wanda wispherd, shielding her sons ears from Ororo's words.

"You have to let go…"

"I said shut up." Her anger began to appear amongst her pain.

"If I must, I will take them from you." Storm said more forcefully.

With those final words, Wanda exploded. The stress of trying to maintain this reality and cloud the minds of every living being on earth resulted in a breakdown of everything around her. As reality began to shift and warp itself around her, the battling combatant came to a halt.

"What's happening?" Magneto asked bewildered.

"We thought you could tell us Mags." Wolverine said.

A piercing scream sounded, causing everyone to look at a surprised Storm confronted by a deranged looking Scarlet Witch. A corona of energy swirled around Wanda, and wherever her foot made contact, the metal beneath would melt away. Turing burning eyes at the direction of her father, she sneered at the man who had brought ruin upon her and her family.

"This is your fault daddy! All my life, all you ever wanted was to enslave the human race, to bring mutants to the forfront of humanity, never once thinking about your family, your children."

"Wanda… what are you talking about." His heart began to race, as the pain that he saw written on his daughter's face broke his heart.

"You never cared about Pietro and I. You only cared about your own selfish goals. You weren't even there when I lost the twins…" with that admission that her sons weren't really there, their images began to fade away, like ghost. "Nooo!!!!" racing to the spot where her sons once stood, Wanda fought desperately to cling to their fading bodies. Her sanity had finally snapped, with the lost of her children, she had no reason to go on.

"Is this what you want father, absolute power?! That's all you understand right? Well let me show you what real power is." Rising from the floor, she hovered through what used to be the ceiling of the once magnificent castle. When she reached outside, she looked upon a world in chaos, able to fall apart simply by her willing it. If her children could not live to see another sunrise then neither would the world.

As Wanda began to tear apart everything that she had created, the others watched helplessly from the ground. Emma reached out with her telepathy, trying to shut Wanda's mind down, but with her using her powers to such a degree it became virtually impossible. The psychic backlash was enough to render the telepath unconscious.

"Emma!" Cyclops rushed to her side, cradling her head in his lap.

"We have to stop her, if we don't then none of us will survive." Wolverine yelled over all the noise.

"Can't you do something Magneto?!" Cyclops asked.

"I'm trying, but my powers aren't working." Fear was in the Master of Magnetisms' voice. For the first time since he could recall, we was in no position to do anything.

"She must be stopped." With her words, Storm summoned the winds to take her aloft, heading directly towards the Scarlet Witch. Ororo was able to sense the imbalance around her, so much so that it was almost unbearable. Being attuned to the elements and nature itself, she was able to feel the plant scream in protest as it was ripped asunder. She had made a vow once to never take a human life, but if she felt there was no other way to bring an end to the Scarlet Witch's damage, then she would have no other choice.

"Wanda, stop this madness!"

"You don't know what its like Ororo. To love someone more than life itself, then to have that love taken away."

The sorrow Storm heard in those words made her heart ache. While she had never had children, she had always wished to have kids of her own someday. And while she never had to experience the pain of losing a child, she had lost those who where more to her than blood. The death of Jean Grey still weighed heavily on her soul, and while her dear friend, who was more like a sister to her would be missed, she would still not sacrifice every living being just to avenge her.

"You are right, I have no idea what pains you must be going through, but what your doing won't bring them back!"

Turing pain filled eyes to Ororo, Wanda looked at her with grief.

"Your right, it won't. You and the others have made sure of that. I'm tired of fighting Storm; I'm tired of living in a world where no one appreciates what they have. I won't live like that anymore…" drawing all her power to her, Wanda prepared to end it all. "If that is the world you wish to return to, then so be it, but it will not be this world… NO MORE MUTANTS!!!" With a blinding display of power, the sky went white, and Ororo only had a second to scream, before she disappeared in the blinding flash.

* * *

When reality finally reinserted itself, everything was as it once was, to a certain extent. While Wanda had sent the heroes back to the world that they knew, there were consequences to her action. When she made her command of no more mutants, she had managed to depower ninety percent of the mutant population. Those who had once had the power of gods, where mere mortals when the House of M fell. Many of them didn't know how to cope with the lost of their powers, those who hadn't gone insane, fell into a deep depression, and then suicide.

While the X-Men tried to deal with a world whose mutant population had shrank to its lowest percentage, they were dealing with issues on both fronts. During the House of M reality, they had fought together as a team, a core unit, and when things were set back to normal, they found themselves one member short. After Storm confronted Wanda, that was the last any of them saw of her. She had disappeared in the flash of light. It was assumed that she would find herself back at the mansion with the others, but fate would have otherwise.

For weeks, they searched for her, using Cerbro to try and locate her mutant signature. Even with the advanced mind of Charles Xavier wasn't enough to locate her, and after enough time, they begrudenly gave up the search. The younger students took Ororo's 'death' considerably hard. She had been like a mother figure to a majority of the younger girls, but none more than Kitty Pryde. She was inconsolable for over a month. When Gambit returned from his exile in Antarctica, he was enraged from the loss of his padnat.

"Ya'll gon' just give up… leave Stormy fo' dead?!" he yelled at Scott.

"We did everything we could Remy, but there is just no sign of her." While Scott didn't show it, he was just as effected as everyone else. He had already lost Jean, and losing Ororo was like losing a sister. He was happy that Jean wasn't here; he knew that this would be too much for her.

Through her psychic powers, Emma was able to sense Scott's pain. She had never really liked Ororo, ever since her time in the Hellfire Club and they had switched bodies. While she may not have agreed with the windrider, she had the upmost respect for her.

After two months of searching in vain, the funeral arrangements were made, and heroes from around the world attended the burial. It was a sad sight to see so many, some who rarely worked with others, come to honor the death of a goddess. And in stark contrast to the grave mood, the weather was nearly picture perfect; it was as if Ororo herself had painted the sky with different shades of reds and oranges. No one would forget the woman known as Storm, and those who knew her personally would never heal from this crushing blow.

* * *

In a dank and dark alley, in a city whose skyline was gloomily, with the clouds ripped opened, pouring sheets of rain unto the streets below. Laying amongst the trash and debris, was a unconscious woman. Her presence in the ally seemed to almost enhance its low decorum. Her clothing, which would catch any person's eye, was more of a body glove than clothing. Leather pants hugged shapely legs, while a matching top,which left the midriff revealed,with a ruby stoned resting at the neck accentuated her bust. Rounding the entire thing of, was a pure black cape, edged in silver draped over her toned body.

Platinum haired framed a beautiful mocha face. Who this woman was, no one would be able to say, but if the question was asked to a specific group of mourning heroes, her name would have passed from their lips as a prayer…

To be continued...

A/N: This is my first X-men fanfic, and it depends if I get enough reviews will determine if it continues past this chapter. I can let you know that I already have the plot and future chapters already underway, so if you want this to continue please let me know.


	2. Over the Rainbow

**When Worlds Collide **

**By: Orionstorm04**

Disclaimer: I do not own Storm or any of the other X-Men that belongs to marvel. All I own is the original idea, and any OC.

A/N: Time for another update! Aren't you guys excited? I'll admit, I've been gone for a month now, but that's the standard time it takes me to cycle through all of my stories for updates. When I posted the first chapter, I said that I would only continue the story if there was a want for it. Well here we are, a month down the line and nine reviews in the hole, so I would call that a want. A heads up to everyone who reads, this will not be a five chapter post type story, oh no, not in the less. As with all of the stories that I post, they are extensive and very plot driven.

**Over the Rainbow**

The blaring sounds of sirens could be heard, as an ambulance raced down the congested streets. Traffic was backed up for miles down Lexington Ave, and the ambulance had to navigate through abandoned, sidewalks just to make it the few feet to Mercy Hospital. As the paramedics wheeled the newly arrived patient through the halls, a doctor who looked to be in his mid forties approached the gurney carrying the patient.

"What have we got here?" he asked the paramedic.

"African American female, she has a concussion, and also some abrasions on her face and skull." He answered, slightly unnerved by her appearance.

"Where did you find her?" the doctor was slightly shocked when he got closer towards the woman.

"Call came in about twenty minutes ago from down on Parks St. A couple of neighbors called in, claiming that something sounding like a bomb had gone off in the ally. When we got there, all we found was her." He said, motioning towards the unconscious woman.

"Did she have any id on her?" the doctor asked as he began to check her vital signs. They were still strong, but he didn't want to take any chances.

"Nothing and trust me, you'd be hard pressed to find anything on an outfit like that."

"She is rather peculiar. I want you to place her in the detain ward…"

"Sure Dr. Mullikan." The paramedic said, happy to finally be able to get as far away from this woman as possible.

"Oh and Steven…" Dr. Mullikan waited until the paramedic turned back around before he continued. "Contact the League. She's either one of theirs, or a serious problem waiting to happen, either way, I don't want to be caught unprepared."

"You got it."

When Ororo Munroe's mind finally began to arouse from unconsciousness, the first thing her eyes were greeted with was the harsh light that was placed directly above her. Instinctively she began to lift her arm to block the light, and was caught off guard when her left arm only went a certain length. Looking down at her wrist, she saw what it was that held her hands in place, handcuffs. Immediately her mind went into overdrive. Where was she, how did she get here, and most importantly, how would she get out?

She had to stay calm, getting nervous would only lead to her getting in deeper troubles than she was already in, she needed to think. What was the last thing that she could remember before waking up here? When she tried to recall what it was that brought her here, her mind began to ache. Pushing through the pain and cloud that rested heavily over her memories, Ororo dug deeper, until she was finally able to remember.

The last thing she recalled was waking up in a world that was so much like her own, but so different none the less. The Scarlet Witch had altered reality, and inadvertently set in motions a chain of events that would ultimately destroy all of existence. She remembered fighting alongside of her teammates, and rag tag members of heroes who were desperate to put an end to Wanda's mess.

She could remember trying to convince Wanda to let it all go, to let go of the illusion and return everything to the way it was, but that was too little too late. Wanda had gone mad with the loss of her children, and no amount of reasoning was going to change that. What was that old saying? It's better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all? Ororo was able to see the pain in Wanda's eyes, she was able to hear it in her voice, and no words have ever been as hollow.

Ororo listened as the Scarlet Witch bore her soul about the recent loss of her sons. Wanda had had enough, she was tired of all the fighting and the never ending struggle she faced as homo superior. She didn't want to go on anymore, and if her sons could live to see another day, then neither would anyone else. The next thing Ororo remembered was a blinding flash, then noting. There was the welcoming embrace of oblivion that met her after the flash, but before she could find peace within it, she was ripped away and sent spiraling into chaos.

And now she was here, handcuffed to a bed in an unfamiliar place and more than slightly confused. She tried once again to open her eyes, this time more slowly, giving them a chance to adjust to the light. Her eyes feel upon what looked to be a sterile room… a hospital room to be exact. Looking around, she could see that she was alone, most likely kept away from the general population. But why would she be in a hospital room?

Looking at herself, she noticed she was now in her costume. She was certain that she hadn't had it on during the fight, so how was it now that she was dressed in it? There were too many questions to answer, and not enough time at the moment to do so. First she needed to get out of this room, after that, she could try and figure out what's happened since she's been out. There was no one guarding her in the room, and from what she could see, there were no cameras either. All she had to do was pick the lock, and get out as quietly as possible.

Her time spent on the streets of Cairo still served her well, long into adult her. Achmed would be proud that his teachings did not die with him. It was easy for her to pick the locks of the handcuff and free herself from her bed. Next she had to get out of this room unnoticed, and that was normally easier said than done. Opening the door slightly, she peered into the hallway, careful not draw any attention to her or the door. When no one noticed that the door had opened, she opened it further to reveal a long corridor. One side of the corridor lead to a dead end, but the sign hanging in the distance said elevator. The other end of the hall held what looked like a receptionist desk.

She was certain now that she was in a hospital, but the question still remained, where was this hospital. There weren't too many of them that were friendly enough to help a mutant, and she was sure that her appearance alone would be enough to identify her. Maybe that was the reason they locked her away from all the other patients, they were keeping her quarantined, probably waiting for the authorities, or worse, the Friends of Humanity to arrive. Well she wasn't going to wait and find out, all she had to do now was make it to the elevator and then she was home free.

Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror that was resting on the far wall, she knew she couldn't just walk out there the way she was. She would be spotted almost immediately, and gunned down without hesitation. He room offered little in the way of a disguise, other than a baseball cap that was left in the stand next to her bed. She would just have to use what she had on. She closed her eyes and began to concentrate, and when she opened her eyes once more, they were engulfed in white lightning.

Electricity crackled in her eyes, while her platinum white hair waved in a breeze of her own making. Small bolt of lightning licked across her body and the unstable molecule of her costume began to shift and alter into something entirely different. Her cape had morphed into a long overcoat, the tips of it brushing the floor. The top portion of her costume reshaped into a black corset with silver trim, which resembled leather. All and all, it looked less conspicuous than her X-Men uniform, or enough that she would be able to slip out unnoticed. Using the baseball cap she found in the stand, she checked her looks in the mirror, before heading once again to the door. Slipping out of her room quietly, Ororo made her way towards the elevator. She hadn't gotten more than ten steps when the voice of the woman sitting at the receptionist desk sounded.

"Green Lantern… we're glad you could come on such short notice. We know how busy the League is these days."

That was a peculiar name to call a person, Ororo thought. As she waited for the elevator to reach her floor, she took a glance over her shoulder to get a better view at who the receptionist was talking to. Trying to be inconspicuous, she tilted her hat farther over her brow, but was still able to see the three costume clad individuals. An African American male stood in front of the desk, he couldn't have been no older than her twenty-five years, or at the least a year older than her. His head was shaven bald, with a stylish goatee on his face. His uniform was somewhat peculiar, but who was she to judge on his choice of fashion. The dark black costume was in stark contrast to his emerald green gloves and boots. His posture was extremely ridged, most likely from years of service. For some bizarre reason, he reminded her a lot of Scott.

There was another male standing on the right side of the first, but he was white. His jet black hair reached just a few inches beyond his shoulders. She couldn't really see much of his face, since he wore a mask that concealed his eyes and nose. His costume was the same color of his hair, with a brilliant sky blue bird symbol on his chest, extending to his broad shoulders and down his arms. Unlike the other man, this guy looked to be a year of two younger than her. His demeanor was more relaxed, not as if he expected trouble at any moment. That was a luxury that Ororo hadn't indulged in much during her tenor as an X-Man.

The lone female looked slightly agitated rather than committed to being there. She wasn't dressed like the other two, though she wasn't dressed like someone from off the streets either. Her clothing more resembled something off the strip in Las Vegas. She wore a black one piece bathing suit and fishnet stockings. Her black leather stilettos added an extra inch to her petite height, and a magician's hat sat atop her raven colored hair.

"Not a problem ma'am. Where's the patient?" Green Lantern said businesslike.

"She's in room 347, right down the hall, and to your right. We weren't sure if she was one of your members, or maybe some kind of wack job plotting to destroy the city, so we thought it best to restrain her. I hope that wasn't a problem." The nurse said. She had been slightly worried that the Justice League would be upset that they had locked away one of their members.

"No that's fine, better safe than sorry. We'll take it from here." Lantern lead the group down the hall and towards the room Ororo just vacated.

"Why is this elevator taking so long?!" Ororo screamed mentally.

She had never liked elevators all that much, her Claustrophobia barely allowed her to endure the short trips. She much preferred to take the stairs, but seeing as that wasn't an option, she was forced to squash her growing panic and wait for the 'coffin' like box to take her to the ground floor. With each step of the individuals, who she now knew was here to claim her; her heart began to beat faster. She pushed the button several more times, in the vain hope that it would cause the door to open faster. They were so close in fact, that she could hear the female mumbling angrily to the other two.

"I don't see what I had to come. It's not like you and the Boy Wonder here couldn't handle this without me. And you didn't have to pull me off stage, you know."

"Hey, the name's Nightwing, toots…" the man with the face mask said, slightly peeved that she couldn't even call him by his name, albeit, it wasn't he real name.

"I heard you the first hundred times Zatanna, so crying about it now won't change a thing. You're a member of the Justice League, so start acting like one." Lantern ordered in his gruff tone.

Just when Ororo was beginning to think that the infernal elevator door would never open, the soft ding, that signified its arrival chimed in. Ororo hastily shuffled in, conscious to keep her head down and her face concealed. Just as the door was closing, the three League members were reaching her door, none of them paying attention to the person who just entered the elevator, none that is except Zatanna. Being acutely attune the mystic arts, she was able to sense the subtle shift in the environment whenever someone of massive power was close by. Though she shouldn't have been surprised, since Green Lantern was directly on side of her, but this presence was different than what she normally got when around GL.

The ding from the elevator covered the soft sigh released from the windrider's lip. She rushed into the small box, forgetting her fear of small spaces, in lieu of a quick escape. When she was inside the elevator, Ororo gave one final look at the three costumed individual. While the door was closing, she saw the female, the one the African American man call Zatanna, look in her direction a split second before the doors sealed.

That nagging feeling that had crept up on Zatanna flared when they got closer towards the room, but the source seemed to be coming from a area outside the hospital room. It seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. Her suspicions began to grow, and her uneasiness regarding it caused her defenses to rise. Something about all of this wasn't right, her instincts were telling her that something, or someone very powerful was close by, and she didn't think the three of them would have enough power to stop it. With her senses going wild, Zatanna scanned the immediate area, just in case a threat was around the corner.

The ding of the elevator drew her attention farther down the hall, and right before the doors of the elevator closed, she caught a glimpse of a woman wearing a baseball cap. She couldn't be sure, but she sensed something about the woman, but chalked it up to all the interference in the vicinity. She only vaguely heard Green Lantern say something about keeping their guard up and be prepared for anything; her attention was all on the elevator that just left the floor.

Lantern cautiously opened the door, his ring at the ready, just in case the occupant decided to do things the hard way. Nightwing was just as cautious, years of fighting alongside Batman would do that to a person. So it came to a surprise to both men, that the room was empty, the only thing remaining was a pair of handcuffs. Using his ring, John searched for any hidden exits, or temporal anomalies showing that the person had help getting out undetected. Stratified that the person hadn't used any unusual methods to elude them, he figured that the person must still be inside the building.

"They're gone, but my ring didn't detect any abnormalities, so that means they didn't teleport out. Whoever they are, they must still be in the building. I want us to split up, but if you find anything suspicious, radio in. I don't want to take any chances, we don't know what this person is capable of." He ordered.

"The elevator…" Zatanna could kick herself for not following up on her suspicions.

"What?" Nightwing said.

"The woman in the elevator, I knew I was getting a vibe from her, I just thought it was coming from the person we were her to take in."

"Why didn't you say something sooner?!" Green Lantern asked, before rushing out of the room. "Call the front desk; tell them not to let anyone in or out of the building before we get down there." He yelled to the woman as he flew into the stairway leading to the first floor. The room they were sent to was on the twelfth floor, and her hoped he wasn't to late to catch they're perp.

When Ororo finally made it to the first floor, she was feeling a little bit more at ease. She had made it this far, all she needed to do was take a few more steps and she would be home free. She passed the front desk, where a security guard was busy watching some game or another on his portable television, when the phone beside him rang. As Ororo passed him, she noticed him double take before setting the phone back on the receiver and called out.

"Hey, you there…" when she didn't stop, he called out again. "Hey! You in the overcoat and hat, stop right there. The league wants to have a talk with you." The guard said as he walked around the counter and towards Ororo. He was careful not to get to close, and had his hand resting securely on his gun.

"I knew it was too easy." Ororo mumbled to herself.

At this point she had no way out, if she attacked the guard hand to hand, it would only slow her down and she would run the risk of getting shot. There wasn't sufficient air in the cramped waiting room for her to create more than a breeze, and if she were to use her lightening innocent people could be hurt. It was only by chance that the front doors to the hospital opened, admitting and elderly man. It was at that moment that the opportunity Ororo had been wishing for presented itself. With a quick twitch of her wrist, and a mental summons to the winds outside, a gale force wind lifted the unsuspecting guard off his feet and into the nearby wall. Without a moment to spare, Ororo ran out of the building into the crushing crowed of people milling about in the city streets, and disappearing amongst their numbers.

When the members of the Justice League finally made it down stairs, they were greeted with the sight of nurses picking up loose pieces of paper, and the security guarded nursing a large lump on his head.

"What happen down here?" Green Lantern asked as he walked over towards the guard.

"I-I don't know. One minute I was trying to stop your perp, and the next; I'm being thrown into a wall."

"Wait, he threw you into a wall?" said Nightwing.

"No, she did. I don't even know how, she was nowhere near me." The guard was not only trying to stave off a massive headache, but confused as to how the woman managed to get away.

"We may be dealing with a telekinetic. We should contact the rest of the League, and let them know what's going on." Zatanna wasn't quite sure that her assessment was right. Whoever this woman was, she would be a lot harder to handle than what GL thought.

Ororo had been walking for well over an hour, and while she knew she wasn't in Westchester anymore, she couldn't identify where exactly she was. None of the surrounding landmark was familiar to her, and when she looked at a local paper, the title read Blüdhaven. None of this made any sense, she had never heard of a city by the name of Blüdhaven or any of the others listed in the paper. There was no way that she could simply ask question without causing suspicions.

She needed answer, or at the very least a way to contact the mansion. Thinking about the mansion made her pause for a moment. Why hadn't any member of her team come to retrieve from the hospital? Surely the admissions desk would have put her in the system or at the very least her description. Something defiantly wasn't right, and she intended to get to the bottom of it. Looking at her risk, she remembered her information retrievals unit. It was a device designed and created by Hank McCoy, affectionately known as Beast. The unit was to operate as a standard information gathering unit, which gave its user access to any computer network on the planet. Hank had named the device Sage, in honor of the X-Man member who inspired its creation. It also doubled as a mini Cerebro unit, capable of listing and naming any mutant that Charles Xavier had ever come across.

All she needed was a place to be alone, and what better place could there be but her natural element? As she came upon a deserted ally, she summoned the winds to her and shot above the skyline and into the clear night air. Once she reached the overhanging clouds, she was able to get her first look at the city below. Even from this distance, she still couldn't recall the city or any of its surrounding areas.

"Sage…" she spoke to her wrist band. At her vocal command, a holographic image of the woman whom Ororo had gotten to know so well during their time together as members of the splinter group X-Treme X-Men. The details between the hologram and the original were uncanny, right down to the stoic expression on her face.

"Yes Storm?" the hologram asked. During its creation, Beast, along with the help of Professor Xavier, had managed to imprint the personalities of any of the people it had stored. Only a few programs had been placed on the device, such as the data unit that was accessed now. Also included was the Cerebro unit, which had been implemented with Xavier's own personality. The Medical unit, which Beast took particular pride in, and used his own charming personality to fit the bill. The one program that wasn't as cut and dry was the mini danger room program. Of course Scott would be the perfect candidate to have as the AI of the program, but Ororo thought it would be best to add Logan to the system as well. At first this had irked Scott far more than he was willing to admit, but he had begrudgingly admitted that it could be beneficial.

"I need you to see if you can contact the mansion." Ororo waited the few scant seconds for the image to respond.

"I'm sorry, but it seems as though the mansion isn't within range for me to contact." Came the monotone response.

"That's peculiar; the range on this device should be able to reach from coast to coast. Access all database within range, and see if you can get a fix on our location." As Sage carried out her request, Ororo took the time to scan the city below her. If she wasn't in any part of the United States, then when in the goddess' name could she be?

"According to local archives, we are in a city called Blüdhaven, located fifty four kilometers from Gotham."

"Neither of those names ring a bell. We must not be in the United States any longer…"

"That is incorrect; we are in the United States."

"But why don't I recall this place? And you said that we were out of range to contact the mansion. How far are we from New York then?"

"We are approximately three hundred and seventy four miles away from New York City."

"What, but how can that be? I want you to do a comprehensive scan of every database you can access. I want you to see if you can locate any member of the X-Men, active or inactive, or if the X-Men even exist." Ororo began to grow more confused as time went on. If she was still in the U.S, the why wasn't she able to get in contact with the Institute? The only explanation she could come up with was that she was transported to another time line. Perhaps in his time line, the X-Men were never formed, and if so, then she wouldn't have any help from them.

"I have scanned all local, state and federal databases and there are no mentions of the X-Men. I have also done as requested and did a full spectral search for any member of the team and all efforts yielded no results. There is no mention of any mutant who is registered in the Cerebro files either." Sage's voiced cut through Ororo's silent wondering.

"There are no mutants?" maybe this stretched farther than she realized. If there were no mutants in this reality, then who were the costumed individuals that were in the hospital? Maybe they were the key that she needed to solve her dilemma. She recalled the female calling the black man Green Lantern, of which she was sure wasn't his real name.

"See if you can find anything about a man called Green Lantern."

"Green Lantern, aka John Stewart, is a member of a group of superheroes called the Justice League. According to records, John Stewart was a soldier in the U.S Marines, before joining the ranks of the Justice League. There is little information regarding his superhero origins, but according to archives, his ring is the source of his powers."

"So there are mutants here?" Ororo asked.

"They do not term them mutants, but rather metahumans."

Ororo began to wonder what exactly it was that she had stumbled across or how she came to be here. The only excuse was that Wanda's reality warping powers must have somehow sent her into an alternate dimension, one where mutants didn't even exist. But why and why did she send her fully outfitted in her uniform. Casting her questions aside, Ororo snapped into leader mode. This was no different than any other scenario, and the first rule was to access the situation. She had to gain every bit of information that she could gather of her location, and those who lived there, and the first place she was going to start was with this so called Justice League.

To be continued…

**A/N: **Well if you haven't gathered as much so far, this will be a crossover with Justice League. I didn't want to give away the big secret, so I kinda held off on a few things last chapter. I know a few of you will be disappointed that this won't be your standard X-Men fanfic, but I just thought I would throw a little flare in the story. I got the idea after I read the Amalgam comic book where DC and Marvel teamed up and pitted their heroes against one another. I always wondered what it would be like if Ororo stayed a part of the DC universe; of course there was that comic that depicted Ororo as Wonder Woman. I also want to ask that you forgive any mistakes that I have made in this posting, seeing as I don't have a beta and that I'm writing this at like 2:00 am. And as always, please read and review, and until next time, peace out people.


	3. Author's Note

_**Attention:**_

Just a heads up to all of those who thought that I was MIA or dead. I'm alive!!! I know it's been a while since my last update, and for that I'm truly sorry. I was having problem at home with family that required my full attention. Now I'm back and ready to push out some serious work. Updates will come twice as often as they did before, and for that you have my word. I will try to publish as frequently as I can as long as my muse continues to inspire. Like I've said previously, reviews always keep me motivated and going strong. That's it for now. At the moment, I'm writing my update for this chapter and it should be done within the next day or so, so you shouldn't have that long to wait. Thanks for the support.

Orionstorm04


	4. Starting Over

**When Worlds Collide **

**By: Orionstorm04**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Storm or any of the other X-Men that belongs to marvel. All I own is the original idea, and any OC.**_

_**A/N: I know, I know. I've been gone for a hellava long time, but I can explain. My grandmother was hospitalized, and the thought of losing her scared me shitless! For over a month I went back to my hometown to help support my mama during that trying period. It was heartbreaking to witness my mom in that much pain, and for a moment, I thought the shock would kill her. But by the grace of the Lord, my grandmother recovered and is now home, and it great condition. And since things have gotten back to normal, I can resume my writing duties. It's amazing how after a time of great crisis, you reevaluate priorities in your life. I've recently changed my major from liberal art to nursing. After the scare we had with my grandmother, it left me wanting to be in a position to help more the next time something like this happen. Oh, look at me rambling on and on while I have a chapter to write. I hope I haven't lost any of the fan-base that this fic began to generate, since I've been gone.**_

**Starting Over**

Starting over is never an easy thing to do. Having to rebuild your life from scratch is a daunting task for anyone, let alone a superhero that was torn from her plane of reality, and plopped in some unknown dimension. Life for Ororo Munroe had truly taken a u-turn, causing her to reevaluate her current position, and the necessary steps to improving it. After wakening up to strange surroundings, in a even stranger city, it dawned on her that she had no money to speak of, no way of identifying herself if the need arose, and no place to call home.

With little to no resources to call upon, Ororo had to think of something quick, less she would be homeless. Her first step would be to come up with an identity and background. Forging documents was easy enough, with the help of her Sage unit. Deciding to stick to as much of the truth as possible, she kept her birth name and her origins in Africa. Coming up with a profession wasn't that difficult either. During the years the X-Man had converted the mansion into a legitimate school, she had acquired her degrees in Botany and World History, though the latter would do her little good if history in this world was different than that of her own. Also with the frequent rebuilding the mansion and the danger room, she became an extremely accomplished engineer in her own right.

Deciding to go with the trade that she would be able to live off of, she was able to locate a university in Cairo that was known for their engineering department. Luckily, hacking into their computer mainframe, and falsifying records were relatively easy. She thought it best not to place herself in the top percentile at the university; on the off chance that doing so would draw to much suspicion. With her new master's degree, and a stable identity, she had built the foundation to her new life.

Her second and third problems were synonymous to one another. She couldn't get a home without money, and even with her advanced degree she wouldn't find a job that would hire her and advance her the money to gain some kind of living space. So yet again she was faced with a dilemma as to what steps she could take next. She thought that maybe she could sell some of the blue prints to the many inventions Beast had downloaded onto her device, but then thought against it.

She wasn't fully aware of what new dimension she was in, and not sure of what the consequences would be from introducing foreign technologies, so being overly cautious in a situation like this could never be a bad thing. There had been plenty of times that people had tried to alter the past to better suit their idea of a future, and all of them were meet with despair. The fabric of time wasn't something that could be manipulated to adhere to some foolish person's dreams. So until she was aware what role she was meant to play here, she would do anything out of the ordinary, unless absolutely necessary.

The only choice left to her was the one she had hoped she would never have to do again. After the death of her parent all those years ago, Ororo had been forced to do things that she consider no child should ever have to do. To place herself in harm's way, by robbing and stealing from those around her, just to get by was a fate almost worse than death. She had no real family, save Achmed who was more like a mentor. As she grew older, she rationalized that it was okay for her to take from those who could afford it, if only for her to survive another day. Eventually she realized the flaw in the logic that told her that what she was doing was necessary for her to survive. At times she was forced to stealing from those who had nothing to give, so in turn she was placing others in the same conditions as herself.

But with age comes wisdom. As time went on, and she became more grounded in her convictions to not harm innocents, and found other means to sustain herself. A rueful smiled graced her lips, as memories from long ago began to flitter across her mind. She could hear her dear friend Remy, teasing her that she had gone soft. She could vividly remember the months that she and the Cajun had spent on the road, committing robberies all along the gulf coast. It was a necessary evil that she had to begrudgingly admit. The two need food, and shelter, but had no skills other than stealing to call upon. But they never placed innocent people in harm's way. They never took from those who earned what they had.

Though to many, Remy was considered a scoundrel, who prayed on the weak in order to advance his own selfish gain. But that couldn't be farther from the truth. To those who knew him, who really took the time to know him, such as Ororo, knew that his heart was always in the right place. Those were the ones who would trust Remy with their life, and did so on several occasions. He never stole from those who couldn't afford it. As twisted a logic as that was to those on the outside. Ororo simply couldn't help but admit that it was pure Remy. He mainly stole from those who made their millions from either illegal gains, or off the backs of those less fortunate. He liked to consider himself as a modern day Robin Hood, stealing from the rich, and… well she couldn't honestly say that he gave it all to the poor, but he tried as best he could to help those less fortunate than himself, and still make a little something on the side.

So that is how Ororo Munroe, once known as the mighty Storm of the X-Men, found herself hovering over the skyline of a gloomy city known as Gotham. Even from this altitude she was able to see the garbage that littered the streets on the lower side of the city. The blaring sound of police sirens could be heard in the distance, as the smell of pollution was carried on the winds. The atmosphere around this city made her almost physically ill. The city had become little more than an open sore, infected with so much greed and corruption that was brought on by its criminal element that it left the city in a near state of peril.

Being attuned to the nature as she was, Ororo was able to feel the pressure that mankind had put on the environment, and if it continued, there was little hope for this city in the future. She could never live here and be happy, not with so much deterioration in the area. With all the elemental pollutants in the air, Ororo truly believed that prolonged exposure to this place would drive her to near insanity. Even with all of its obvious flaws, there were reasons as to why she chose Gotham this night. Out of the all the cities in this reality's United States, none was more troubled than Gotham, as it was home to numerous companies, with extremely close ties to organized crimes syndicates. Though there were exceptions to every rule, and Gotham was no different. One such company by the name of Wayne Enterprises remained relatively untouched by the corruption of Gotham.

All of that at the moment was irrelevant. Tonight, she had chosen to keep her aims low, or as low as could be expected. Jason Ramsey was a man of great means, and even greater ambitions. Over his tenure as the head of the technological company, RiverTech, he had amassed a sizable fortune. But like most of Gotham's elite, he had quite a few dealings with the local criminal element. Over the past few years, Jason Ramsey had been making illegal dealings with the heads of major crimes families, selling high powered weaponry. She had done her homework on her mark and what she found disgusted her. Because of his irresponsible acts, the weapons sold from RiverTech had caused the death of countless police officers in Gotham, and causing its criminals to bolster against what was left of the force.

Though even in its darkest hours, Gotham wasn't without its protector, its one saving grace that kept its people safe at night. The rumors of Batman had every criminal within miles, scared to walk the streets. Ororo was rather impressed that one man, seemingly on his own could instill that much fear into some of the most harden criminals this city had to offer. But with Batman prowling the streets, she would have to be careful herself.

"Sage, can you tell me what type of security measures that is active in the home?" Once again, the translucent image of Sage appeared at Ororo's command.

"The facilities are equipped with extremely advanced security settings. It almost rivals that of the X mansion's programming, though lacking a few of its more eccentric traits."

"Can you give me any further details? I would like to know exactly what I'm walking into." Ororo said as she continued to survey the area from the air, and constantly making sure that the cloud cover she summoned continued to hide her from any prying eyes.

"In addition to the guards patrolling the area, the compound's security includes several cameras placed throughout the grounds. Every entrance into the house has been wired to sound an alarm if opened or tampered with after the alarm is set. In conjunction with laser security system, some rooms have been fitted with weight sensitive flooring." Sage informed meticulously.

"What of Jason's office? Is it as heavily fortified?" Ororo's years of living on the streets prepared her well, and she knew better than to take anything lightly. She need as much information as possible about any compound she would be entering, and she would use her unit's information gathering skills to provide her with every aspect of this mansion as possible, before setting one foot onto the grounds.

"His office is secured more heavily than the entire compound. There are motion sensors, weight sensors, and armor shielding protecting it. It's a relative Fort Knox."

"Perfect…" Ororo muttered, as more time when by, the challenge became even greater. "What about the information we need? How difficult will it be to get it?"

"Once you're inside, I should be able to sync with his systems and pull up any reports needed to confirm his involvement with illegal arms dealing." Sage commented.

"With all this security I'm betting the power runs not only by an outside source, but some kind of internal power supply as well?"

"Correct." was Sage's dry reply.

Ororo thought for a moment before asking her next question. "Alright then, I need you to tell me how much time will elapse between when the main power is knocked out, to when the backup supply will kick in."

"There will be less than a five minute delay, once that window has closed, every operating system will be fully functional once more."

"What about an electromagnetic pulse?" Ideas bombarded Storm's mind, as she tried to think of ways of getting in and out as quickly as possible.

"Knocking out the system would immediately alert the police." Sage said, without skipping a beat.

Storm absorbed all of this information, going through every all the possible scenario, and shooting each one down that caused her to be discovered. It was times like this that she wished that she had Remy's level of thievery. After racking her brain for several minutes, trying to come up with the perfect plan, she called up the schematics of the mansion, trying to find its vulnerable point. It didn't take her long to discover her vantage point. There was a blind spot in the cameras array on the east side of the compound which would make the perfect entry point. At Storm's mental command, the clouds that she had gathered as protection began to rumble, the precursor of a storm.

As the peel of thunder reached the ears of the men patrolling the grounds, they looked to the sky. Some began complaining about the lousy weather and getting wet. While other, more experienced men were more suspicious of the foreboding clouds. While Jason Ramsey considered himself to be a legitimate businessman, that didn't mean he wouldn't cut corners by hiring some ex-cons. It was these men who were more off put by the gathering clouds. On more than one occasion, while working for some super villain or another, they had been confronted by super heroes. Nothing at this point surprised them, and to have a seemingly clear sky, change into dark heavy clouds in a matter of hours, left them a little wary of what was to happen next. Soon the clouds opened up, bringing down sheet after sheet of water. Within seconds, the earth beneath their feet turned into mud, causing the men to slip as they ran for cover.

Satisfied with the outcome, Ororo began her descent to the eastern most wall of the mansion. The rainfall was so dense, that with the naked eye, a person couldn't see beyond a few feet of their nose. But Ororo's mutant ability allowed her to see beyond the physical aspect of the storm and see into the components that created it. She saw beyond the storm and was given a clear view of her target. Utilizing her precision over her mutant ability, Storm was able to prevent the rains from touching her directly. As she reached the balcony leading to the room she would enter, she noticed there were no lights on, signifying that everything was clear.

Landing gracefully, she stalked to the entry way, cautious not to draw any attention from down below. Using her elemental powers, she switched her vision so that she was able to view the world as patterns of energy. With all the wiring for the securities, the house practically lit up like a Christmas tree, but years of training prepared her to distinguish between the patters. Using a small electric burst, she temporarily scrambled the signal on the access pad, gaining entry into the room. Creeping further inside, she pressed herself against the far wall, while she slowly opened the door, peering out down the halls for any sign of henchmen. The halls were practically empty, save for a small table on the far side, giving little place to hide for any invader. Luckily for her, she wouldn't be lingering in the open for long.

As she made her way deeper into the house, she couldn't help but be cynical on how easily this was going. After everything that she had learned about this place, she thought that it would be a little more difficult for her to enter. As she rounded the next corner, Storm skidded to a halt. There was a difference in the pattern of the air here, something that stirred the ions and distorted the natural its natural flow. It would go unnoticed by most, but caused her to freeze in her tracks. Had Wolverine been here, he would have said that he could almost smell the ozone. But that was a luxury denied her. So yet again she shifted her vision, calling on the electromagnetic spectrum to guide her.

Just as she suspected, inferred lasers crisscrossed the halls in all angles. It would take a contortionist to traverse such a laser maze without getting caught. If she wished to get through undetected, Ororo would have to use all the agility she possessed. First, she would need to see the layout of the lasers more clearly. With a gesture, and at her mental summons, a light fog billowed down the long hallway, exposing the bright red lights, that not moments ago lay hidden. Before she could move to take her first step, the trajectory of the beams shifted, realigning themselves in a different layout.

"Clever man…" Ororo mumbled in appreciation of Mr. Ramsey's dexterity. She would have to not only be careful, but quick to make it through this maze. "Sage, how long is the intervals, before the layout of the laser change?"

"They change their angle every five minutes. The patterns are random, so there is no possible way to determine the next phase."

Realizing too much time had passed for her to make it successfully through; Ororo chose to wait until the next rotation. It was a good thing she chose to wear her X-uniform, sans the cape. The material clung closely to her body, preventing the chance that any loose fabric would trip the sensors. Taking extra precautions, she also brought a mask that would conceal her more noticeable traits, such as her eyes and hair. Through she was sure she would not show up on any police database, she didn't want to risk Jason Ramsey or any of his associates coming across her on the streets.

Exactly five minutes after the last realignment, the lasers altered once more. Within a heartbeat's time, Ororo was on the move. She nimbly dodged the first array of laser, but as she got further into the cluster, the more elaborate the beams became. More towards the middle, the lasers actually continued to move in erratic motions, becoming even more difficult for her to make it through. She just narrowly missed being caught by one, before she threw caution to the wind and made a desperate leap to the end of the laser field.

The goddess must have been smiling on her, as she was able to make it the rest of the way without tripping any alarms. She was close to her mark now, only a few scant feet from Jason's office, and she would be home free. But the deeper she got into the compound, the more sophisticated the security became. The only way into the office would be through the double doors at the end of this hallway. But getting through wouldn't be an easy task. The doors were magnetically sealed and reinforced with lead. To top it off, the only key to get inside was Jason's own palm print.

This however, is where one of Forge's ingenious inventions came into play. The unstable molecules of the uniforms that the X-Men wore could also be linked to the data system that all field leaders carried. Once linked, a program could instruct the glove on the suit to conform to the last know imprint that the unit registered, which in this case just so happen to be none other than Jason Ramsey. It had taken Ororo a considerable amount of time to actually get a usable print from the man. It was during one of the many dinner parties that he threw that provided her with just the opportunity she needed. After almost stalking him for the entire evening, she had finally managed to get a hold of one of his champagne glasses, that he placed on the table after her excused himself.

It was the arrogance of the man that would ultimately be his downfall. What person in their right mind would have the only access to this room sealed, with the only means of opening it was with his palm print? Then to leave said palm print laying on any surface for anyone to copy?

After placing her hand on the scanner, Ororo waited for the print to be verified. After a few quick seconds of steady beeps, a soft click sound followed by a rush of air as the doors slid open. Stepping into Jason's study, Ororo had to hand it to him. The man did have taste. The room was a mix of old world culture and new world design. Though massive in size, it still lent an intimate feeling, but just below that intimacy remained strong connotations of a man with an ego. Every portrait that hung on the walls were of Jason. There was one such portrait in a Kennedy-isc pose the seemed lost on the youthful looking man. Where Kennedy's pose showed a leader in a contemplative reverence, Jason's showed a man seemingly plotting to destroy his enemies.

The oak wood desk was handcrafted from the finest mahogany, and the silver trim edged around the corners added to its value. It was sickening how some people thought that their worth was measured by what they had, rather than what they did to better others. Though living in a mansion herself, as a member of the X-Men, she never faulted Xavier for his wealth. He was a man who had dedicated his entire life to the betterment of mankind.

With any one of these pieces, she would be able to live comfortably for well over a year. But she wasn't here to simply commit robbery, though that was one of the reasons. No, her mission here was twofold. Primarily she had been commissioned by a private party, to return an artifact of his that was stolen. While Ororo had never met the man in person, only being aware of him through a third party, which was no doubt owning to the fact that he didn't want to be tied to anything should she be caught, she had accepted the request to retrieve what he called a priceless family heirloom.

Her contact informed her that the object was a rare, one of a kind Faberge Egg, which had been passed down through the clients' family for generations. While Storm empathized with the man, she didn't totally believe what he said was true. So she did a little research of her own, and what she found reaffirmed her suspicions. True Ramsey was in possession of a rare priceless egg, but it didn't belong to the man who hired her. The egg had gone missing some months ago from the World Museum of Histories and Art. The museum had no clue as to who took the egg, and had place a huge reward to whoever either found the egg, or any information leading to the robbers.

The reward money would certainly help her in her financial woes, not to mention it would be another charge against Jason. The man was a monster, selling weapons to those who used them to kill people. He held no remorse for those who did because of his action, and neither did he show any indication that he would be putting an end to his ways. A with the dwindling police force, there was no end in sight to his activities. As a superhero in her world, Storm had witnessed men such as Jason get by on a technicality. Using their wealth to shield them from the law was a trait most rich criminals had. The fact that the law would allow such people to hide behind it made Ororo sick. And what made matters worse was that the people who were in a position to do something about Ramsey, was not taking any steps to stop him.

Sure there were other options, such as the Justice League. But they were so busy handling the major issues that they simply didn't seem to have the time to notice a person like Ramsey. It reminded her to much of her missions back home. While all the other hero groups focused on the so called major issues, the X-Man were the ones who always considered no case to small to investigate further, especially if innocent people where the victims of the crime. It seemed as long Jason Ramsey kept his hands clean of the actual selling of the weapons, then he could claim that he had no idea where they were going. But just as Storm was able to find out the real owner of the egg, she was able to dig up a little dirt connecting Jason to the illegal weapons sale. All she needed was the proof, and she would be able to put him away for a very long time.

She had convinced herself that her arrival here was a break from her old life. That she could actually make a fresh state, and take the time to live like a normal person would. But there were some things that she couldn't just let fall at the waist-side. Though she didn't take up the mantel of hero anymore, she still felt she had a duty to use her mutant gifts to help those who couldn't help themselves. That was a lesson Professor Xavier taught all of his students. And it would be a lesson well learned, if she could complete what she had came to do here tonight.

When no alarms sounded, she took that as a sign saying that she still hadn't been discovered. She quickly got to work, as she walked behind the Oakwood desk sitting in front of Jason's personal computer. Once it booted up, the system asked for a password, something that shouldn't have come as a surprise. She wasted no time syncing her Sage unit to the CPU of the computer, and within seconds Ororo had full access to all the files on its hard drive.

"Have you found anything Sage?" Ororo asked as she scanned the room, every now and again looking to the door.

"Yes." The response was immediate. "Just as you suspected, Jason Ramsey is indeed involved in illegal arms sale. He's covered his tracks pretty thoroughly, except for a few correspondences from some of his buyers. I've managed to link their names with foreign investors who made considerable deposits into Jason's off shore accounts."

"Good." Ororo allowed herself a small grin. With this information, Ramsey wouldn't be able to claim ignorance of his company's dealings when charges were brought against him. In other words, she had him dead to rights. Once Sage had informed her that the download was complete, Storm went about locating the Faberge Egg she had been 'sent' to retrieve. It didn't take her long to find it though. With a man like Ramsey, she should have known that he would have his prized possession on display for the entire world to see. It was placed on a dais that was tucked in a cramped space not three feet from his desk. An overhead light casted a soft glow onto the priceless jewel incrusted silver egg, which was cased in what she was now sure was bulletproof glass.

Storm walked slowly over to the display case, completely enthralled by the beauty of the jewel. She could understand why someone would want it, but not to go as far as to steal it from a museum. As she got closer to the case, she could see just how thick the glass really was. That mattered little to her; she wasn't planning on shooting at the glass anyway. Her methods would give far better result than her trying to break the glass with physical force anyway. It was simple really. Like with all things built under the guise of strength, it was only a step away from being brittle.

Storm lifted her right hand, and placed it on the glass case gently. As she rubbed her hand over the glass, almost soothingly, her eyes began to mist over. What she was preparing to do was something that she had done several times in the past. A method she had learned from her teammate Iceman. She soon removed her and with a gesture, frigid air began to encircle the case. A thin sheet of ice coated the casing as a stronger wind wafted through the enclosed room. Seeing that her efforts weren't working fast enough, Storm removed the moister from the air surrounding the case, and with that, the temperature in the room dropped even more. The alcove housing the dais that the egg rested on began to develop icicles, and the floor was becoming slick with ice. In no time, the case was completely covered in ice.

Slowly the wind began to tapper down, and with it; Storm natural blue eyes cleared. The space were the egg was tucked in looked like a winter wonderland once she had finished. Ice coated the walls, and the floor looked like a pristine mirror. Ororo was careful as she walked towards the case, aware of how embarrassing it would be for her to slip after all she had been through. Again Ororo placed her hand on the once crystal clear glass, which was now opaque due to the ice. As she moved her hand over it surface, electricity crackled around her slender fingers. Ororo's eyes changed their color once more, but this time settling between completely white and her normal azure color. As her vision shifted, she was able to see the different flow of energy that was inside the case and outside of it. Slowly at first, she began to increase the air pressure around the case, careful not to increase it too fast and risking crushing the egg as well. Eventually flaks of glass started to chip away until the ice case crumbled into powered snow.

Now uninhibited by the ice and case, Storm was able to get her first real look at the Faberge Egg. It looked delicate in that old world, pricey kind of way with little ancient runes inscribed on it. Knowing she had wasted enough time here, she placed the egg in a side pocket on her left leg. But the moment the egg was removed from it resting place the alarms were tripped. The ear piercing sound startled Storm at first causing her to look around franticly.

"Dammit!" She chastised herself. That was a complete armature move for her to make. What thief didn't know to remove the weight sensor before taking the item? Maybe after all this time she had gone soft in her thieving skills.

Just as she was turning to leave, she felt the tile she stepped on push down under her weight and she immediately knew that she had set another trap. Within seconds four sheets of metal came rising out of the floor, creating a very cramped rectangular box around Storm. Franticly, Ororo looked up just in time to see her last glimpse of light before the opening was closed off as well. It was like a coffin being in that box, and with Ororo's claustrophobia, she truly felt as if she would die if she didn't get out. Panic began to mount in her at the knowledge that she was trapped in this small space, and through her panic, her powers began to show themselves. Lightning swirled around her frame, and outside a faint rumble of thunder could be heard.

"Well, well, well… What do we have here?" came a voice in the distance. Ororo couldn't recognize who it was from the muffled tone from inside the coffin, but it could only be Ramsey himself. "Is it a thief?! Can you imagine my surprise when I was alerted that there has been a security breach?" Now she was sure that it was Ramsey. The way he spoke sounded as if he was taking this all as some kind of game. Yes he did have the upper hand by having her locked in this godforsaken box, but did he realize what it was truly doing to her?

"Please, let me out!" Ororo began to beg. She could feel the walls closing in on her, as her mind began to race.

"Oh I'll let you out, but trust me; it won't be any better." His voice had lost all pretense of joviality, and took on a more sinister edge. "Nobody robs from me and lives. Oh, the things I'll do to you." He whispered evilly.

"Please! Let me out!" She heard none of what he said. All she wanted was to be let out. She could see scattershot memories of her being buried alive next to her death mother. She could still remember the weight of the rubble as it pressed against her. She could remember the exact moment her mother's hand let go of hers. And finally, she could see, just as clear as day, her mother's beautiful faced etched in death. Ororo couldn't take it anymore more, her mind screamed out to be helped. And with that heart wrenching plea, the elements answered.

As Jason Ramsey made his way towards the box that held his assailant, a massive bolt of lightning struck right outside his office window. The concussive wave from the bolt caused all the windows in the room to be blown out. The guards that accompanied him jumped as the following thunder shook the house to its core. The lights in the room began to flicker as the storm outside grew more intense with Ororo's desperation.

"What the Hell?!" Jason shouted as his computer shorted out and finally the lights went off. "What the hell is with this weather?" his question was never answer, as a scream came from whoever was trapped inside that metal box.

"NOOOO!!" Ororo was at the end of her rope. The need to be free clawing at her mind like some caged beast, with each passing second, and as her need grew, so did the storm. Lightning assaulted the mansion, trying to reach its mistress and free her of her pain. The rains outside became a torrent, scouring earth as the wind uprooted trees that had stood there for centuries. The men who were paid to guard the compound looked to the sky with fear and awe. It was like heaven was tearing itself apart, and all they could do was await their deaths. Within seconds, the tail of a tornado slowly crept its way down from the darkened thunderclouds. Seeing that it was headed directly for the house, the guards watching from inside began to scramble for the basement, hoping that it would protect them from what was sure to be their deaths.

Now Jason wasn't feeling as cocky as he was moments ago. This storm had come out of nowhere, and it seemed to be getting worse by the second. He had no power, and his back up generators still hadn't kicked on. That meant that the police would be here any minute, if they could get through this weather. The only bad part about that was that he wouldn't be able to deal with his 'guest' himself. Oh well, there were other ways to skin a cat. Just as he was beginning to feel comfortable again, the house gave a lurch and moan. Then without warning, the roof was ripped away, and shredded like paper. And as Ramsey looked to the angry sky, he gave a silent prayer, knowing that this was the end.

A gale force wind erupted in the room, throwing everyone there against the walls. A litany of lightning shot from the sky and crashed into the metal case. The floor beneath began to buckle from the force of the blast. With every strike of lightning, Ororo's pitiful please could be heard. It seemed as though the twister grew tired of its mistress's pleas going unanswered, and decided to take matters into its own hands. It descended at an alarming rate, giving to time for anyone to seek shelters, as it tore the once illustrious mansion to shreds. In a matter of seconds, there was nothing left to the compound, only rubble.

After the tornado's onslaught, the weather started to calm. The rains were now a light sprinkle, and the dark angry clouds only hovered overhead, no longer voicing their outrage of the treatment of their mistress. The grounds of the mansion were now in ruin, as debris was scattered over the muddy lawn. Large piece of timber were imbedded in the ground, as large oak trees were scattered everywhere. The only odd object that littered the ground that would cause concerns was a human sized metal container that looked like a cannon had shot through it from the inside.

_To be continued…_

_**A/N: After all this time, I've finally managed to update a story! I will admit I'm embarrassed of myself for taking so long to update. Sometimes life just happens, and no matter how hard you try to control it, it always slips through your fingers. Also, my muse decided to abandon me at the most inopportune time. But enough of that tell me what you think of the new update. It was a bit slow moving for me in the beginning, but after a while, I think it came together. Oh yeah, I better put this now before I forget. I'll need you, the reader, to help with the progression of the story. Since Storm never had a real love interest, or one that I didn't like, I wanted to pair her with one of the Justice Leaguers. I was personally planning of pairing her with Wally West, since he didn't really have anyone in the series either. That and the fact that I think his more laid back nature would be good for Ororo, who is always so formal and somewhat cold. But I'll give you guys a chance to pick who you think would be a great choice for her. I'll say this final thing, I didn't really want to pair her with Bruce, since her reminded me to much of Logan, and since that pairing doesn't really catch me, I was trying to stay away from it. But if that's what the people want, then that's what they will get. I will put a poll up on my homepage where you can vote for your favorite, and if you don't see a character that you think would be perfect for her, just leave your choice in a review, and I can promise you that I will take it into consideration. Well, I should get started on my next update while I'm still in the mood. BYE!!!!**_


	5. New Life

**When Worlds Collide **

**By: Orionstorm04**

Disclaimer: I do not own Storm or any of the other X-Men, or any of the DC characters. They belong to their respective houses. All I own is the original idea, and any OC.

A/N: First off, I would like to apologize for my recent absence. I won't bore you with the details, other than the fact that I got a new job. Another chapter update is here, and I can tell you that I'm excited. The reviews for this story have been phenomenal! Your feedback means a lot, and I honestly can say that I actually take them into consideration. At this moment I would like to say that the poll is now closed, unfortunately it hadn't generated a much insight as I had hoped. I will, for the moment, keep the winner secret, sort of. Though rest assure, the person will be made clear either in this post, or the next.

**New Life**

"Today, in Economic News, the multibillion dollar corporation known as RiverTech; has bankrupted." A feminine voiced echoed from the modestly sized TV, placed on the far wall of the cottage style home. "After reports surfaced that CEO Jason Ramsey had been illegally selling weapons to local gang syndicates throughout the United States, stock prices for RiverTech plummeted."

At that second, Ororo stepped into her living room, fresh from her shower. It had taken her hours to calm herself, not to mention the raging storm she had created, after being released from her small prison. Had she been home, in her own universe, it would have been much easier for her to let go of the fear of being trapped in that small box, but here, she had no one to go to for support. There was no Remy, or Logan; to tell her to be strong. There was no Jean, or the Professor to stay with her, both physically and mentally, while she came back to herself.

This world presented her with more challenges than just trying to find her way back to the home she so desperately missed. It forced her to live without her family, without those that had helped her in more ways than she could have ever imagined. She needed that support now; more than ever, and without it, she was falling apart.

"In related news, Jason Ramsey was found today after police lead a search into his destroyed suburban mansion. Reports indicated that sometime during the night, an F5 tornado touched down directly onto Mr. Ramsey's home. Miraculously, no one was seriously injured; save for Mr. Ramsey, who was found nearly five miles from his home. When police were able to speak with him, all they were able to gather from his incoherent ramblings were talks of a home invader."

Ororo allowed a slight smile to grace her lips at the news. While she admitted to allowing her fear to control her, she couldn't agree more that Jason deserved far worse than what he got. From the looks on the reporters face, she most likely agreed.

"While being treated in the hospital for a few broken bones, and a slight concussion, Mr. Ramsey was placed under arrest. Lower Circuit Court, Judge Michael Patterson; signed the warrant immediately after the evidence was delivered to the District Attorney's office this morning. While the informant has yet to be identified, the local police departments in Gotham City send their thanks to the person who helped bring Jason Ramsey to justice. In other news-"Not wishing to hear anymore, Ororo turned the TV off. She no longer wanted to relive that night, all she wanted to do was move forward with her life.

"Speaking of which-" Ororo reached for the phone on the nearby end table. From the proceeds she gathered from the information she obtained while inside Jason's home, Ororo was able to pay a small deposit on a quaint little cottage style home on the outskirts of Metropolis. It came fully furnished, so she didn't have to worry about trivial things, such as what kind of drapes she should get.

In the news paper next to receiver there was a help wanted ad, with the name, Eric Marshall, and the symbol of a water droplet falling from an image of the globe. During her outings in search of a job earlier that morning, Ororo came across a very promising career opportunity. An engineering firm by the name of Inustrial Fluids was looking to hire a few highly skilled people to fill the new research and development department. Though Ororo hadn't had that much experience with research and development, she was sure that she could learn. Besides, whatever she needed help with later, she could always call up Hank's psi image on her Sage unit.

The phone rang only two times before a perky, almost too cheerful woman answer. The woman rambled off the usual greeting, before asking how she could place her call. The woman didn't speak for a moment, while she looked up the person Ororo had called for. When she finally did speak again, it wasn't the news Ororo wanted to hear.

"Oh… I'm sorry, but Mr. Marshall is in a meeting now. Perhaps you can call back later?" You could tell that the woman really wasn't all that sorry when she feed Ororo that line, but pleasantries were pleasantries.

"Thank you, but if you could however leave a message, I would appreciate it." Ororo asked.

"Certainly, just give me a moment to get a pen and pad." The woman asked. It took her a half a second before she informed Ororo that she was ready to take the message.

"If you could, when he's not busy, have him give me a call back. My name is Ororo Munroe; I faxed him a copy of my qualifications earlier this morning."

"Oh, Ms. Munroe, I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Marshall has been waiting for your call." The woman's tone immediately changed when Ororo mentioned her name. "I can connect you with him right away, if you can hold for just a moment?"

"Not a problem." Ororo confirmed. Businesses, no matter where they were from, are all the same. All one had to do was drop an important sounding name, and subordinates would fall to their knees. This is what gave Ororo second thoughts about taking this job. If she did, she would have to conform to the internal bureaucracy of big business, and Ororo was anything but a lemming. But all of that aside, she realized that she didn't really have a choice in the matter. It wasn't like she could find a well paying job as a freelance superhero.

"Miss Munroe?" the masculine voice pulled Ororo out of her self-evaluating state.

"Mr. Marshall, I'm glad you were able to take my call at this time." Ororo greeted the man.

"It's no problem at all Ms. Munroe. It's not every day that someone with your impressive background applies with our company."

Industrial Fluids was a relatively small company compared to some of the other, more welled known companies. It was owned and operated by its CEO and founder, Eric Marshall. Though not one of the major hitters in Metropolis, it was an up and coming force in the field of natural energy. Before applying for the position, Ororo had done a thorough, comprehensive search on Industrial Fluid's background. She was searching for any signs showing that this company wasn't on the up and up, and had she found anything suspicious, she would never have considered it. Fortunately, there was nothing indicating that either Industrial Fluid's or its Board of Directors had any illegal ties.

"I appreciate your kind words." Ororo said cordially.

"I'm very happy that you applied for the position. Things here at Industrial Fluids have certainly been moving in the right direction. We've just signed a partnership with LexCorp, which will increase the potential of our products exponentially." Eric gushed over the company's recent achievements.

It came as little surprise that the company had now go public, so to say. Though still in its infancy, IF had really set forth the ground work to a more eco-friendly way to create energy. There was only one thing that really caught Ororo's attention, and that was the mention of LexCorp merging with IF. She didn't even need to pull up information of LexCorp, or its founder Lex Luthor. His name had been plastered on virtually every paper within the City. Claims ranging from him being a psychopath, to a philanthropist, colored local media.

While proof of his more criminal behavior was easy enough to come by, his egalitarian nature was far harder to unearth. During recent months, Lex had been on nearly every new broadcasting station, practically begging society to forgive him for his past mistakes. Skepticism was high amongst most people, but after a few handsome donations, people started to fall in line.

"I was hoping that we could get you started right away, say as in tomorrow?" Eric asked Ororo after he listed all the benefits that the company had.

"I suppose that's fine, though we haven't discussed what my position would be in your company. I'm aware that I would be hired on in the research and development department, but aside from that, I'm at a slight loss."

"My apologies Ms. Munroe, there have been a slight change of plans. You see, with the new merger with LexCorp, we no longer have a need for a research and development team."

"Then the position is no longer available?" Ororo asked confused. All this time, she had been thinking that she was interviewing for the position she had applied for, now she's told that the job no longer exist.

"Correct…"

"Then I supposed our conversation has ended, hasn't it Mr. Marshall?"

"No, NO! You misunderstand me. While the original position is no longer needed, you on the other hand would be an asset we couldn't afford to lose to our competitors." Eric hastily tried to redirect the flow of the conversation. "In recent months, Mr. Luthor thought it would be best if he took on a different approach to how he ran his business."

"With his public image the way it is, I could see why Mr. Luthor would to take a more, shall we say, egalitarian approach." Ororo was quick to note Lex Luthor's sordid past.

"Precisely my meaning, you were able to fully appreciate the nature of the very tentative merger between LexCorp and Industrial Fluids. Our current problem now is trying to convince our investors and the Board of Directors that this merger won't tank the company."

"Well Mr. Marshall, I don't see how I could be of any help." Ororo commented.

"Well it simple really. You see, I've taken the liberty to do a little background checking about you, and what I found amazed me." Eric began.

"And what is it that you found?" Ororo question was guarded. She wasn't quite sure what to expect, seeing as she really didn't have a history here.

"Nothing, absolutely nothing and that is precisely what is needed. While Lex Luthor is a business genius, what his company needs now isn't that. It needs a CEO who isn't tainted by public perception of his past deeds. You Ms. Munroe, with all you credentials and background, have managed to stay out of the public eye, and your reputation from your previous employers have been absolutely stellar."

Ororo listened to Eric talk about her past achievements as if they were actual events. It wasn't easy creating fake overseas companies, then using Hank, Scott and Charles psi images as Owners. She had to admit however, the end result was convincing.

"Again Eric, I thank you for your kind words. But we still have not addressed the issue of my employment."

"Right, right; we have neglected that part." Eric chuckled out. "We here at Industrial Fluids would like to make sure that our interest will be represented at LexCorp, and to do that we need the best. There will be a spot added for us on the board of directors at LexCorp, and we would like you to feel it."

Ororo was stunned. Initially she was applying for a low level position in the development program, now she finds herself hoisted to one of the top positions in the company.

"I-I don't quite know what to say." Ororo sputtered.

"Say you'll take the position." You could almost hear Eric smiling on the other end of the phone. Ororo sat for a moment, thinking over what she should say next. While not quite the low profile job she was seeking, it would certainly pay the bills.

"Then I say yes, I'll take you up on your offer." Ororo said confidently.

"Excellent, we can start on the paper work immediately. If you have some free time tomorrow, we can have you come in and sign your offer letter and get you started."

A/N: Sorry for the extremely short chapter, or at least its short for me. I'm used to writing chapter with words upward of 5,000 but this one is less than 2500. Oh well, I can't force my muse to obey me, or else I wouldn't be writing at my best. Over the next few days, I'm going to be thinking about what I want to do in the next update, I have a lot of thoughts on where I want to take it, but I haven't gotten anything pinned down. If anyone would like to help me get motivated, PM me and we can talk. My brain feels like it's going through a blender with me trying to keep up with all these story plots I have going on at the moment.


	6. Story update

This is a little update to all of my readers. I know I have been M.I.A. and for that, I'm sorry. Times have changed and I relocated to another city and state… but enough of that. If there is anyone left who are still interested in reading this story, simply leave a review to express your interest and I'll be posting chapters soon after.. Again, sorry about the long absence.


	7. FATE OF THIS STORY

ITS OFFICAL! CHAPTER UPDATES WILL COMMENCE IMMEDIATLEY! THANKS YOU GUYS FOR ALL THE LOVE AND I'LL TRY NOT TO LET YOU DOWN. ANYONE WHO'S INTERESTED IN BOUNCING IDEAS WITH ME TO KEEP THE CREATIVE JUICES FLOWING, PLEASE FILL FREE TO EMAIL ME….


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